Readers come through with lamb recipes
Not having a working oven for nearly two weeks means skillet or slow-cooker suppers and requires much restraint on my part.
Patience is not my virtue. I feel hamstrung without my oven. When menu planning, I think of all sorts of recipes that I could make in it, and I grit my teeth waiting for the part to come from the factory.
This saga started from flipping the self-cleaning switch. The oven was sparkling, but when I went to make breakfast muffins, the oven would not unlock. That's what I get for cleaning.
After the initial rant, I decided to use this time to try out new and old recipes. We have had chicken tortilla soup, baked potato soup, buffalo chicken linguine, chicken piccata with microwave baked potatoes, taco salad and Asian chicken wraps with microwaved egg rolls. I had forgotten how much I liked chicken piccata, and my family discovered a new favorite, buffalo chicken linguine, which is done entirely in the slow cooker.
That recipe, which I found in Country Living, is one that I tweaked to lower the calorie and sodium content. I used reduced fat cream cheese and reduced sodium chicken broth. I did use regular cheese, but instead of shredded cheddar, I used a Mexican blend of four cheeses.
Another plus for this recipe is that is does not take all day to cook. It's ready to eat in about 4 1/2 hours from start to finish; even the pasta is cooked in the slow cooker. The original recipe uses full-fat cream cheese, regular chicken broth and1/4 teaspoon celery salt. I don't like the taste of celery, fresh, as salt or otherwise, so I omitted it. Besides, we didn't need the extra salt. There is plenty in the dressing mix, wing sauce and cheese.
Note: The linguine was done in 30 minutes in my slow cooker. The recipe says it makes at least 6 servings, but I think the servings are more like 8-10. I served this with a chopped salad with chipo
tle dressing. Both my husband and daughter had seconds, and we still had enough leftovers for another meal.
SLOW COOKER BUFFALO CHICKEN PASTA
1 to 1- 1/2 pounds boneless chicken
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (1/4 cup now,1/4 cup later)
1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix (dried packet kind)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1 cup shredded Mexican four-cheese blend
1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon water
16 ounces linguine
Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
Place chicken, broth,1/4 cup buffalo sauce and seasonings in slow cooker.
Top with cream cheese and shredded cheese. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8.
When chicken is fully cooked, remove to separate bowl and shred with two forks. Add remaining1/4 buffalo sauce to chicken and toss to coat. Set aside chicken.
Whisk together cornstarch and water and add to slow cooker. Use a whisk and stir until cheese and cream cheese is all combined and smooth.
Break noodles in half and place in slow cooker. Top with chicken and cover. Turn slow cooker on high for 30-60 minutes until noodles are fully cooked. Stir 3-4 times during cooking. If noodles are not done you can add extra broth or water1/4 cup at a time.
Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
More cornbread puddings
Two Florida readers sent in cornbread pudding recipes for Cheryl Mims of Petal, who requested the recipe. The two recipes are similar, but one uses butter and the other does not. Also one adds paprika.
"I have made this recipe so many times, and everyone enjoys it," said Virginia Farrell of Bradenton.
CORNBREAD PUDDING
2 eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 can (15- 1/2 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1 package (8- 1/2 ounces) cornbread muffin mix
1/4 teaspoon paprika
In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Stir in cornbread mix just until blended.
Pour into a greased 3-quart baking pan. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered 40-45 minutes.
-- Submitted by Virginia Farrell
Carol Knispel of Parrish shares her recipe for scalloped corn.
"I've taken this to our church suppers, and it is well liked," she said.
COUNTRY-STYLE SCALLOPED CORN
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 (16 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (9 ounce) box corn muffin mix
Melt butter and beat eggs. Drain whole kernel corn. Combine all ingredients, adding muffin mix last. Pour into a greased 7-by-11-inch baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned.
-- Submitted by Carol Knispel
Andrea Yeager, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net and takes requests at Cook's Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535-4567.
This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Readers come through with lamb recipes ."